TRY COASTEERING DURDLE DOOR, DORSET
Is your inner daredevil raring to go? Then climbing up and jumping off the Jurassic coastline will be just the thing, says Sarah Baxter
Dictionary definition of coasteering: “[noun] chiefly British – the sport of exploring a rocky coastline by climbing, jumping and swimming.”
Real-life definition: “[more verb-like; certainly a doing word] seeing the seashore in a totally fun, new way, while getting rather wet.”
Coasteering sounds like an adrenalin-junkie affair. Indeed, you do need to kit up in wetsuit, helmet and buoyancy vest to do it. And, yes, the main point is to leap off rocks, negotiate cliff-faces and splash about in the waves, which sounds rather derringdo. But while being able to swim is an advantage, anyone with a sense of adventure can give it a go. “Coasteering is accessible to everyone,” says Owen Senior of Dorset-based Land & Wave. “Every year we take people of all ages – in 2014, it was from eight to 74. Sessions are tailored to create the best experience for the group.”
ROCK ON
Coasteering is a great way to appreciate the seaside from a completely different point of view, as you clamber into usually inaccessible nooks and crannies. And for this reason, Dorset’s Jurassic Coast – offering 185 million years’ worth of exposed and intriguing geology – is an ideal spot.
Locations on any given day will be dictated by conditions, but Man O War Bay and the adjacent rock arch of Durdle Door are ideal. As you clamber down to the bay, wrapped in neoprene, expect some questioning looks from walkers on the South West Coast Path – especially if it’s a Baltic winter’s day (trips run year-round).
Before you start, get to know the hand signals, so you can communicate in the water – two bangs on the top of your helmet means you’re OK. Then it’s time to plunge in.
SWELL TIME
All excursions will be different, but at Man O War you might start by paddling out to a serrated dragon-back rock offshore. Battling the chill waves is exhilarating enough; on reaching the rocks you can see that they’re layered like Vienetta, a snaggle of ledges and pools knobbled by limpets and barnacles. This is your playground.
Once you’ve clambered onto the outcrop, you need to time your moves so you don’t get blasted by white water, and plan your jumps with incoming swells. There’s no set route or moves, the idea is to play as you fancy, under supervision.
When conditions are right, you can even leap off Durdle Door’s iconic arch – the 10ft-high stack on its outside edge can be scaled for a fabulously photogenic leap.